While 30 years in business would be cause for celebration at many companies, Algar Virtue’s co-founder and president isn’t making much of a fuss over his boutique wealth management firm’s impending milestone.
After all, entrepreneurship stretches back generations in Kevin Algar’s family.
“There could be a photo of my father beside the word ‘entrepreneur’ in the dictionary,” says Algar, a third-generation Albertan born in the Prairie town of Rimbey. “He did all kinds of things, some successful, some not so successful. Before that you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who worked for someone else.”
Starting in 1995, Algar has been his own boss as the head of a Calgary-based firm that “applies business discipline to the management of personal wealth for high-net-worth clients.”
Algar Virtue doesn’t offer tax or legal advice or sell investment products, Algar explains. Rather, the centrepiece of the firm’s offerings, its Family CFO® Program, “reflects the stewardship role we play. … We aim to serve as chief financial officers for our client families, offering strategic guidance rather than just a list of services.
“We remain agnostic in terms of specific investments, and like any good CFO we outsource and coordinate other professional services in appropriate situations,” he says.
Algar recently spent time with Canadian Family Offices discussing formidable risks faced by high-net-worth individuals, the troubling disconnects between building businesses and personal wealth, and the key challenges and opportunities ahead for wealthy families.
How has your professional background shaped your attitudes and approaches to wealth?
As a lawyer specializing in tax work, I was working at a major CPA firm during the early 1990s, around the time of pension tax reform. This period introduced the concept of Individual Pension Plans (IPPs), which allowed entrepreneurs and owner-managers to set up defined-benefit pension plans for themselves. Our firm played a key role in developing this concept, and I focused on this area for several years.
I later partnered with Jim Virtue, a chartered accountant, to establish Algar Virtue. We began with IPPs but soon expanded into broader financial planning. I’m of the view that the term ‘financial planner’ is too lax, which is why everyone in our firm holds a CFP (Certified Financial Planner) designation.
We eventually shifted away from dealing with investments ourselves and created the Family CFO® Program. Our approach is comprehensive, focusing on aligning investment strategies with the broader wealth and lifestyle goals of our clients, ensuring that their financial plans support their personal aspirations.
What typically brings new clients to Algar Virtue?
New clients usually come to us through referrals from centres of influence like accountants or our existing clients. Often, new clients feel uncertain about their financial situation in that they may not fully understand what’s being done with their money or the level of risk involved, or aren’t achieving the results they want. Many wealthy families have a financial planner but lack a comprehensive financial plan. For us, financial planning involves a deep and broad approach, covering key areas like investment planning, estate planning and risk management.
In our experience, wealth is often created in a disciplined environment, such as running a business or pursuing a profession. However, once that wealth is transferred to the personal sphere, discipline tends to diminish. Without proper guidance, clients may make poor investment choices or lack good-quality financial reporting.
What types of investment risks do you commonly encounter with clients?
Tax risk is a significant concern, especially in estate planning and wealth transfer. For example, when parents pass away, any appreciated assets are subject to tax due to deemed disposition. The challenge then becomes finding the cash to cover this tax liability, especially if the family’s main asset is illiquid.
For families with a primary income earner, the risk to the family’s financial stability is considerable if something happens to that individual. Until they’ve accumulated enough wealth that is safely managed and separated, this remains a critical risk.
Sometimes, risk management means assuming the risk and learning to live with it, but there are often options available to mitigate the impact. While some life insurance products can also be used as investment vehicles, we primarily view them as tools for managing specific risks an individual or family might face.
What are some common missteps your Family CFO® Program helps to correct?
Clients often aren’t fully aware of their returns or the fees they’re paying. The industry can be somewhat opaque — many people know they’re paying a manager a certain percentage but might not realize there are additional costs embedded in their investments, such as in mutual funds. For example, we’ve seen situations where foreign exchange transaction fees charged by investment managers were surprisingly high, yet clients were unaware of these costs.
Do you find that there’s a change in mindset that clients need to adopt?
The Family CFO® Program allows us to really get to know our clients, and they get to know us, as we spend significant time together during the planning process. Many clients come to us after trying different approaches without great success.
A challenge we face is the existence of financial entities offering free financial plans. However, sophisticated clients often recognize that there’s no such thing as a free lunch, and they understand that these plans come with the expectation of further business. Our engagement agreement clearly states that we won’t pursue any further business unless the client specifically requests it, and that implementation is a separate engagement altogether.
Another aspect clients may not have experienced before is the comprehensive nature of our approach. While they might have a great accountant or insurance agent, they often lack someone to oversee and integrate the entire financial picture. We frequently see situations where different professionals are working independently, and the result doesn’t fully align with the family’s goals.
We bridge that gap by communicating effectively with lawyers, accountants and other professionals, ensuring everything is coordinated and makes sense for the client. Ultimately, we aim for a successful wealth plan, and I consider it a personal failure if any of our clients don’t achieve their financial goals.
There’s been a noticeable shift toward alternative investments, including private equity, private credit and hedge funds. These investments can add diversification to a portfolio, offering potentially higher returns in exchange for reduced liquidity.
However, we’ve also observed that some investors, perhaps swayed by the promise of higher returns, are allocating much more — sometimes 40 per cent or more — to these illiquid investments. This can introduce additional risks, particularly if there’s a sudden need for cash. In some cases, illiquid programs may even suspend or limit redemptions, which can be problematic.
While alternatives can be a valuable part of a diversified portfolio, it’s important to be cautious about how much of the portfolio is allocated to these less liquid assets.
What are the main challenges and opportunities you see for wealthy families in the future?
Other challenges include the natural process of aging, family dynamics and capacity issues. Estate planning is another area where we see potential difficulties, particularly in choosing the right executor. This role is often underestimated, but it comes with significant responsibilities and requires a blend of investment, tax and legal knowledge. We spend considerable time helping clients find the right fit for this crucial role.
Opportunities are the flipside of these challenges. Now more than ever, wealthy families have the third-party support they need to align financial outcomes with financial goals and their preferred lifestyle.
For example, if there’s legacy wealth intended for future generations, we help to ensure that it is transferred fairly and effectively while integrating it into the wider financial picture. Money brings its own challenges and responsibilities, so our goal is to instill a sense of confidence.
Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
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